Homelander looked at the images on the screen, his brow gradually furrowing.
The script he had laid out was for the Skrulls to rule steadily for a month or two, consolidate the World's resources, and clear out those troublemakers. Then, when he finally descended as a savior, he would directly take over a unified and efficient regime.
Now this video had suddenly been leaked, completely flipping the script?
"Who did this?" Homelander's voice turned cold.
Skynet replied, "The mastermind is Nick Fury. And the one providing him with technical support and distribution channels is Wakanda."
"Nick Fury?!"
Hearing that name, the corner of Homelander's eye twitched violently.
This persistent white-skinned cabinet member! Simply idiotic!
Now the armies of the Human Federation are entirely under the control of the Skrulls!
The people are unarmed. Besides igniting their rage and making them take to the streets to die, what else can this video do?!
In the face of a modern army, the anger of civilians is useless!
This isn't just a massacre!
More importantly...
Those are all my fucking popularity reserves!!
"Because it happened so suddenly and I didn't have your latest instructions, I didn't take the initiative to stop it from spreading, so as not to disrupt any other plans you might have," Skynet said truthfully.
"It's not your fault, Skynet. Don't act rashly when you're uninformed." Homelander suppressed the anger in his heart. "The one at fault is that damn Cyclops!"
Homelander paced back and forth in the living room, his brow tightly furrowed.
"Skynet, return to V.G.D. Headquarters immediately!" Homelander stopped and gave the order in a heavy voice. "Keep those superheroes who can't stand to see human suffering and have an excess of justice pinned down within the borders!"
"Absolutely no one is allowed to move rashly. Tell them that without Vought's orders, anyone who dares to cross the border will have their hero status revoked immediately!"
"Their current task is to establish a defensive line at the border and handle the reception of refugees. They are not allowed to interfere in anything else!"
"Understood, sir."
She stretched out her long legs and turned to leave.
"Wait."
Just as she reached the door, Homelander's voice came from behind.
"I'm very fired up right now..."
Skynet turned her head and saw the flickering dark fire in Homelander's eyes, giving a charming smile.
She walked back to Homelander with elegant steps and skillfully gathered her smooth long hair.
Thirty minutes later.
The fire in Homelander's heart was finally vented, and his brain regained its calm.
He began to rethink the script; he had to find a way to minimize human casualties.
...
New York, V.G.D. Headquarters Base.
Inside the vast Hero Hall, the place was already bustling with people, the noise almost lifting the towering dome.
The moment Skynet received Homelander's instructions, she multi-tasked, sending out a mobilization order to all registered superheroes through Vought's internal communication network.
At this moment, hundreds of registered Vought Heroes had already gathered in the Hero Hall, packed closely together.
They were wearing colorful combat suits made of various materials.
In the past few years, Vought's territory had expanded rapidly, and V.G.D. had absorbed a large number of new-generation superpowered individuals and street vigilantes.
These young people grew up on Vought's PR milk, their hearts filled with a fanatical pursuit of the glamorous life of a superhero.
"What are we waiting for?! These green-skinned shapeshifters are slaughtering our compatriots!"
A young hero with a pompadour hairstyle and high-voltage arcs surrounding his arms shouted loudly.
"We are superheroes! Vought gave us power and uniforms; was it just so we could stand here and watch TV?!"
"Exactly! These green-skinned scum!" A young hero wearing a Sun-patterned jacket with a middle-parted hairstyle seconded, his fist bursting with a ball of fire.
"They're actually playing all of humanity for fools! What are we still waiting for? Vought should order us to charge in immediately and burn these monsters to ashes!"
These young heroes who had just joined Vought were basking in the halo of Vought's past victories, their self-confidence already inflated to the extreme.
In their eyes, this was not just a righteous war to save the World, but also a perfect showcase to become World-famous and raise their hero rankings.
Tony Stark, dressed in casual clothes and holding a cup of black coffee, leaned quietly in a corner, watching the chaotic scene with a deep frown.
Steve Rogers also had his arms crossed, his resolute face showing no extra expression, as he silently listened to the righteous indignation of the young people around him.
To cooperate with the strategic plans of the XYZ Country and US nations and Vought, only a few absolute core veteran heroes like Tony and Steve had learned about the tip of the iceberg of the Skrull infiltration from Jessica beforehand.
Most people in the hall had only just woken up from the dream after seeing that online video not long ago.
"Quiet down, you brats."
Tony Stark finally couldn't listen anymore and slammed his coffee cup onto a nearby surface.
"Do you think this is a street brawl? Rush in, punch a few green-skinned monsters, and then strike a pose for the reporters?"
"Use your pig brains and think clearly! It's a regular human army with thousands of nuclear warheads, tens of thousands of fighter jets, and millions of fully armed soldiers! Now, the command of these armies is entirely in the hands of these suspected alien high-rankers!"
"If you hundreds of people rush in without any organization, you'll be blown to ashes by missiles made by our own people before you even see an alien!"
Steve also stepped forward, standing beside Tony, and said in a steady voice:
"Tony is right. The situation is extremely unclear right now. We don't even know where the enemy is or how many there are. Attacking blindly will only lead us into the enemy's trap."
"What we need to do now is wait for the strategic deployment of the V.G.D. high-level leadership and protect our current defensive line, rather than throwing our lives away for nothing."
The words of the two veteran heroes caused the noise in the hall to subside for a few seconds.
But soon, this suppression provoked an even stronger backlash.
"Wait? Defensive line? Is the defensive line just watching those aliens slaughter civilians?!" The young hero with flaming fists took a step forward, staring fearlessly at Captain America.
Young and aggressive, his face was full of disdain.
"Captain, I grew up listening to your stories. I thought you were a warrior who never backed down. But look at you now—you're old, you're afraid!"
He then turned to Tony Stark, his gaze even more insolent.
"And you, Mr. Stark. Where did the courage you had when you were beating up the Dark Elves go? Just because the other side has missiles, are we supposed to hide here like cowards?"